2018 Audi R8 V10 RWS pricingCoupe and Spyder both coming to Australia

The rear-wheel drive Audi R8 V10 RWS is coming to Australia in April, with pricing starting at $299,500.

Meanwhile, the drop-top will kick off at $321,000 – undercutting its all-wheel drive counterpart by $67,500. The RWS Coupe is also $67,500 less expensive than its all-wheel drive equivalent.

According to Audi, the RWS shares 50 per cent of its components with the rear-drive R8 LMS currently competing in GT3 racing. Given the racer is based on the road car, that shouldn’t be surprising.

Power comes from the same 5.2-litre V10 engine as the all-wheel drive model, making a handy 397kW and 540Nm of torque. It’s hooked up to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, which helps deliver a 3.7 second sprint to 100km/h and a 320km/h top speed.

By way of comparison, the R8 V10 Plus produces 449kW and 560Nm, while the base R8 V10 makes the same amount of power and torque as the RWS.

The limited-run R8 is 50kg lighter than its quattro siblings, and has a uniquely tuned chassis to handle potential tail-out action.

“The Audi R8 RWS is such an exciting car for us because it’s the the very first rear-wheel drive production car ever built by Audi,” said Paul Sansom, Audi Australia managing director.

“As a brand famous for quattro, or all-wheel drive, this was a huge but exciting move for our brand in once again demonstrating our Vorsprung, or progressiveness, to consumers.”

Setting the RWS apart from all-wheel drive Audi supercars is its white paintwork with unique stripes, a new exhaust, and black detailing around the body. LED lighting is standard front and rear, too.

Inside, MMI Navigation, the Audi Virtual Cockpit, DAB+ radio, heated sports seats and parking sensors are also standard. Owners also get a build plate, lest they forget their vehicle is one of 999.

CarAdvice has contacted Audi Australia to find out how many RWS R8s will be coming Down Under. Given just 999 will be built worldwide, it’s not likely to be many.